Don't Worry, I Love Every Single Thing About You
by Enya Talisman
Summary: It's a good thing that Kotori said that to Maki. Being a stepsister to a really hot crush who frequents your workplace could be a deal breaker at times.


Kotori: Ah! This must be the KotoMaki side to the Valentine's Day stories!

Maki: W-Why must it be an incest story?

Kotori: Technically, it's pseudo-incest. So it's okay!

Maki: No it's still not okay... I mean, even if we're cousins it's still not going to be okay!

Kotori: Actually it can work out you know? Many cousins marry each other, just like Albert Einstein married his cousin!

Maki: W-What?!

Kotori: Without further ado, Enya-chan doesn't own anything!

XXXXXX

"Ah welcome. Your usual table?" Maki asked the woman in front of her. The woman nodded and was ushered to her table, with Maki leaving a menu with her.

"Your crush is here again nya~" Rn nudged Maki's arm playfully. The woman who Maki just served managed to captivate the young waitress's heart in mere seconds, causing Maki to fall deeply in love with a regular customer.

"S-Shut up! I-It's not like I like her or anything..." Maki replied, obviously not wanting to admit her crush to her colleague. "I-It's just that I admire how silky her ash-grey hair is!"

"What about her eyes nya?" Rin decided to play around with Maki, thus supplying Maki with questions that would outright show her crush.

"Her eyes reminds me of honey, striking yet calming..."

"Then her voice?"

"It's like a nightingale's!"

"Do you admit that you like all of those qualities nya?"

"Yes I do, why?"

"You like her! That's why you like all those quali- nyanyanya!" Maki tugged on Rin's ear as hard as she could after realising that she was led to admit her crush towards the stranger.

"Excuse me? May I order?" The woman asked Maki, who immediately broke away from Rin.

"Sure, what do you want?"

"Hmm... What do you recommend Nishikino-san?" The woman asked, smiling at Maki. This however, sent Maki's heart out of the roof.

"O-Oh... I would recommend the Elichika Pudding Special if you love puddings..." Maki tried to reply as evenly as she could, attempting to calm her racing heart. _'S-She knows my surname...! A-And I'm not wearing my name tag today too... She remembers me doesn't she?'_

"Hmm... What about cheesecake lovers?" Kotori sent Maki a wink, nearly causing a human combustion.

"C-Cheesecake huh...? U-Um, I guess the Shokolad Cheesecake is a favourite?" Maki panicked, it wasn't every day that a customer wanted a cheesecake. To make things worse, her crush was a cheesecake lover.

"Alright then~ I'll have one of those! Oh and may I ask for a glass of ice water?"

"Sure, that will be all then?" Maki wrote down the orders professionally, even though she could memorise the order (or any other orders) by heart.

"Yup! Thanks Nishikino-san~!" Maki blushed furiously as she entered the kitchen, slapping the piece of paper on to the counter.

"Hanayo, a Shokolad Cheesecake." Maki informed her other colleague about the order. Truthfully, Maki would bake her crush's order herself but there was one major problem and that being a failure of a cook herself.

"Okay~ No drinks?" Hanayo asked, preparing the ingredients for the cake.

"Just a glass of iced water... Where's Rin?" Maki turned around, only to spot Rin outside chatting with the woman. "H-Hey!"

"Oh Maki-chan! Rin was just asking her for her number!" Rin happily replied, bouncing over to Maki.

"You _what_?!"

"Just kidding nya~ Rin was simply asking her about her day~"

"You..." Maki spotted a jug of ice water on a table and decided to pour a glass for the customer by herself, seeing that Hanayo was handling many things at once and Rin... well, Rin was eye-candy.

"Oh Nishikino-san, thank you." The customer thanked Maki, sending the latter's heart out of the roof.

"Huh, today's pretty slow..." A blond-haired woman came out of an office, most likely to be hers. "Hey Maki, you wanna close up early?"

"What?! No, it's only like..." Maki took a quick look at her wristwatch, the time reading 3.30 pm. "... 3.30 pm? You know we close up at five..."

"That's rare of you, I thought you'll want more time to study for your exams..." The woman remarked, her eyebrows shooting up slightly after noticing the way Maki looked at the customer. "Oh I see..."

"What is it? Ah Hanayo, how are you doing in there?" Maki went back into the kitchen, leaving Rin with the woman and the sole customer in the cafe.

"Kotori Minami right? You're something to capture the eye of my most coldest waitress." The woman spoke, taking a seat opposite of the customer. Rin wanted to object, but decided she would play oblivious to the woman's obvious flirting.

"Ahaha... What are you trying to say Ayase-san?" Kotori laughed somewhat awkwardly, her amber eyes focused on the woman's cerulean ones.

"You're quite impressive, as expected of the former Minalinsky~"

"Seriously though, Nishikino-san's pretty magnetic herself. She's the reason why I've been visiting your cafe more often..." Kotori blushed a little, sipping her iced water.

"I have to give her a raise then. But really, make a move on the poor girl already."

"Maybe next time when I see her. For now, I think I'll just enjoy one of your limited cheesecakes~"

"H-Hey, it's not my fault that people in this area like all sorts of desserts but cheesecakes!"

"Doesn't mean that you have to mark up the price though. I mean, 2000 yen for your Shokolad Cheesecake?!"

"Wow that's pricey as hell nya..." Rin whispered to Maki, who was out of the kitchen with a plate of the cheesecake covered in rich chocolate.

"I know, this is the _only_ cheesecake in the damned cafe..." Maki whispered back, before approaching the table professionally. "Here's your dessert miss. Please enjoy."

"Makiiiiii, shouldn't you also ask me what I want?" The woman whined, irritating Maki.

"Eli, we all know you love the Super Choco Nico Parfait." Maki replied as calmly as she could, resisting the urge to sock her boss in the face.

"That is Nico's favourite dessert here. Mine's the Extreme Chocolate Lovers Deluxe Special."

"To hell with you Eli." Maki stormed back into the kitchen, muttering curses under her breath.

"Hahaha. You see, this is why she has the reputation of the coldest waitress in Ikebukuro." Eli sighed, standing up from her seat. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to my work."

"Hmm, Nishikino-san seems more like a tsundere though. Oh well, the cake tastes yummy~" Kotori beamed, nothing brightened her day more than a slice of cheesecake. Once she was done, she beckoned the nearest waitress over. This time it was Hanayo. "Miss, could you bring the bill?"

"H-Huh? Oh sure!" Hanayo went to a table where Kotori's bill lay, handing it over to the woman.

"Thanks! Here's a tip, see you next time Koizumi-san!" Kotori paid 2800 yen and left the cafe, seemingly in a rush.

"Maki-chan! Your favourite customer gave you a tip!" Hanayo called out to Maki, who poked her head from the kitchen.

"S-She's not my favourite customer! Geez!"

XXXXXX

"Oh Maki-chan! You're back!" A woman who resembled Maki, apart from having a more mature air around her, welcoming Maki back.

"Hey mom, you seem chipper." Maki nodded, tugging the ribbon around her neck loose.

"Well Maki-chan, I'm so happy as-"

"Save it for later. I wanna sleep." Maki interrupted her mother, trudging towards the staircase when she noticed a familiar figure. "Y'see, I'm even hallucinating _her_..."

"Maki-chan...? That's a real person you know. Oh and she's going to be your step-sister!"

"What?!"

"Uh like I said, that 'hallucination' is going to be your step-sister... Kotori-chan, would you introduce yourself to your new step-sister?" Maki's mother turned to the figure, who had a similar paling expression like the one on Maki's face.

"N-Nishikino-san, n-nice to see you again..." Kotori gritted her teeth, she wasn't expecting her new step-sister to be the very waitress she had an interest in. _'I think god likes to make my life a mess...'_

"Y-Yeah..." Maki replied back, her mind all but clear. _'If what Hanayo and Rin said about me liking her is true, and that given the fact that she's my step-sister, doesn't this mean that I can't even have a chance with her anymore?!'_

"Oh you two know each other? That's great~ I'll help Tori-chan to prepare dinner~" Maki's mother skipped into the kitchen, leaving the new step-sisters alone in the living room.

"When did our moms get married...?" Maki asked, trying to ease the tension between the two of them.

"Just now. Apparently they've dated for around nine years and tied the knot two hours before I arrived." Kotori replied, with a hint of hatred in her usually gentle voice.

"... I see. I'll be uh, going up now so... yeah." Maki ended the conversation that she had started, awkwardly heading up to her room. "Oh and tell mom that I don't want dinner."

"... Sure..."

"Oh Kotori-chan, where's Maki-chan?" Maki's mother popped out of the kitchen, only to discover Kotori in the living room.

"She uh... said that she was... busy and uh... doesn't want her dinner? I um, don't want anything either. S-Sorry, enjoy your dinner with my mom." Kotori hastily made an exit, leaving Maki's mother alone in the living room.

"Kami, where are they?"

"Oh Tori-chan! They said they weren't hungry so I guess it's just us?" Kami turned to a more mature Kotori-lookalike, her face visibly crestfallen. "Do you think that those two..."

"It's probably more complicated than you think. But don't worry, I'm sure things will work out in the end."

"I hope so too..."

XXXXXX

"Kotori? Are you alright?" Kotori nodded soullessly, the woman beside her continuously showing concern for her. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing really Umi-chan..." Kotori sighed back, her thoughts wandering back to Maki. _'Why must Nishikino-san be my stepsister...? Now things will be so awkward...'_

"If you say so, but if you need a listening ear I'll be there for you." Umi replied, deciding that pressing the matter was not going to help. "How is your work going?"

"Fine. Your novels are a huge hit." Normally, Kotori would be in a good mood that her best friend was so successful. That day however, was different, which worried Umi greatly.

"Kotori, I know how you don't like people interfering in your personal matters..."

"Mm..."

"But I have to know, what's wrong? Is it problems at work?" Kotori shrugged and flopped onto a nearby pillow, her amber eyes devoid of their usual sparkle.

"Not really..."

"Then what is it? I promise that I will provide you with whatever help I can muster." Kotori sighed, it wasn't that she didn't want to confide to Umi. It was just that... her problems are something that a conservative person like Umi wouldn't be able to help.

"My mother got married."

"T-That's great...?" Umi was slightly taken aback, didn't Kotori used to tell her how much she wished that her mother found another significant other in her life? Why was she so depressed after having her wish granted? Umi couldn't comprehend, and decided to probe further. "D-Do you not like your new father?"

"It's a woman."

"Uh... huh..." Umi was somewhat stunned, Kotori was gay after all, so she wouldn't mind if her mother married another woman. So why was Kotori acting so unlike her? "Uh... You don't like your new stepmother?"

"Not that. She has a daughter of her own."

"Umm..." Umi really couldn't say anything else. All Kotori was doing was to give generic answers that didn't offer Umi any insight to Kotori's depression.

"We feel awkward around each other Umi-chan." Kotori sighed, she tried telling Umi about her problem in a roundabout way but it failed. _'And the fact that I like my own stepsister is wrong... kinda...'_

"Maybe try to initiate the conversation?"

"Not gonna help. I can't even visit her at the cafe at this rate..." Umi noticed a light blush on Kotori's cheeks. At first she thought that Kotori was starting to get sick, but upon remembering what kind of answers Kotori had given her, she realised that the problem was far more complicated than awkwardness among mere stepsisters.

 _'Don't tell me... She's in love with her stepsister? Kotori probably met her at a cafe, maybe that's when she fell for her...'_

"Umi-chan? It's okay really." Kotori seemed to have sensed what Umi was thinking, and flashed the blue-haired novelist a gentle smile. "I just need to get along with her for the rest of my life."

"Maybe start by asking her to call you as a sister?" Umi disliked Kotori's last sentence, but chose to ignore it. _'Why must Kotori be so pessimistic? It's not like it's the end of the world... Okay scratch that, they can't get married but they're technically living under the same roof so...'_

"Umi-chan? It's getting late now, I should be going." Kotori stood up, heading for the door. "Say, are you _sure_ you're okay with me?"

"Huh? Of course I am, why wouldn't I?" Umi asked, surprised by Kotori's question.

"Well you're raised in a traditional household and you _are_ quite traditional yourself so..."

"I told you already, I don't mind. Plus, let's not forget that _I'm_ gay too."

"That's true. See ya next time Umi-chan!"

XXXXXX

"Ah you guys are still open! I'm glad~" Kotori burst into the empty cafe, her cheeks red after running all the way from the train station.

"M-Minami-san? Well, we are about to close but I guess we can serve you? Would you like your usual table?" Maki asked in a professional voice, though she was making a failed attempt to hide her blush. Even if they were stepsisters, it's not like she can just brush her love for Kotori aside! Also, she had to apologise for making such an awkward scene the previous night.

"That's great, I'll have the Shokolad Cheesecake and a Maki-chan! Maki-chan, what would you like to eat?"

"Hmm I guess the Tsundere Cabonara will be- wait, what?!" Maki was stunned, did her stepsister just ordered her?! "U-Um excuse me? Did you just ordered me? And added a suffix?!"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I did. I wanted you to join me for dinner!"

"Now hold on a sec, eating cheesecake for dinner is really bad! And we close at five!"

"Makiiii, are you-" Eli popped out of her office, wanting to do a final check before closing up for the day. "Never mind. Rin, turn the sign over! We're leaving once Hanayo is done cooking up their orders!"

"Roger nya!" Rin bounced over to the glass door and turned the sign over, reading **'CLOSED'** from outside.

"U-Uh, I'll go tell Hanayo our orders then..." Maki was about to head for the kitchen, but was blocked by her boss. "Hey what the-"

"Sit down Maki, you're our customer now. I'll take your order." Eli pushed Maki into the seat opposite of Kotori, a smile on her face as she took out a notepad from her blazer.

"Tsundere Cabonara. And I guess a Nozomi's Love Juice. God why did you name a drink in such a sexual way..." Maki grumbled, unable to comprehend the idea that a normal sparkling pink drink would be called in a lewd way.

"Okay, and for you Minami-san?"

"Just the cheesecake and ice water." Eli nodded, and disappeared into the kitchen to tell Hanayo the orders. Maki glanced at Kotori, why was she acting so normal after yesterday?

 _'Of course she's acting normal, she was probably just surprised that I'm her new sister. Why am I even in love with her, she's most likely going to be fucking straight.'_ Maki thought to herself, trying to comprehend Kotori's shift in attitude towards her.

"I'm glad I get to have dinner with you, there are some things we should... you know." Kotori smiled, albeit awkwardly. _'I wonder what does she think about us as siblings...? Even if she's okay with me as a stepsister, will she even be okay with me making a move on her? This isn't right to begin with!'_

"Y-Yeah... Um, sorry for leaving you in the living room like that yesterday." Maki apologised, bowing slightly.

"N-No, it's fine. S-Say Maki-chan?"

"Y-Yes?"

"This may sound sudden, but there's something that you need to know about me..." Maki gulped, was she about to get called out as a creepy incestuous woman? Well, it was technically pseudo-incest but still.

"U-Uh huh..."

"I-I'm gay... Like, I'm only interested into women that kinda gay..." Maki's amethyst eyes blinked once. Then twice. What did Kotori just told her?

"Uhhh... So... you're gay...?" Maki repeated, her heart beating slightly faster. _'Oh god, please say that you are. I'm gay for you and I want to know whether I still stand a chance.'_

"T-That's right. I wanted to let you know as you're my sister now, and if you're feeling disgusted because of my sexuality then..." Kotori explained, conveniently omitting the fact that since she's gay, there was a chance that she may make a move on Maki.

"T-That's fine with me! I'm gay too! In fact, all of us here are gay..." Maki coolly replied. She then shot Eli and Hanayo a glance, with mixed reactions from the duo. "So yeah, I'm totally okay with it. Plus, our moms are gay too." Internally, Maki was cheering that her new stepsister was gay too.

"That's a relief! I was worried that you may not accept me!" Kotori heaved a sigh of relief. It wasn't exactly what she was going for, but at least she knew that she stood a chance no matter how small or immoral it was. "Ehehe~ Kotori feels so happy now~"

"Here's your order. Maki, lock up afterwards!" Eli informed Maki before leaving the cafe with Rin and Hanayo. Moments later, faint buzzing sounds emanated from Kotori's handbag.

"Ah it's a message from work..." Maki nodded, wondering what Kotori did for a living. She shrugged and silently ate her food, allowing Kotori to read the message in peace.

 _From: Ayase-san_

 _[You coward.]_

 _'Ayase-san... it's not that easy to tell her now that we're sisters...'_

XXXXXX

"Ah you're back again. Your usual?" A bartender with auburn hair and a friendly smile asked Eli, who was clearly in a bad mood. "Aw, did Elichika get into a fight?"

"Yuki-san, stop joking around." Eli sighed, taking a seat in front of the counter. Even though she was just a third party, she couldn't stand it when love was hindered by two people who had the hots for each other. _'Kotori Minami, what the heck happened to that promise?!'_

"Sorry, you know that I love to tease you."

"Hmph."

"What's wrong though? Normally you're just... well, normal." The bartender commented, her violet eyes glancing at the grumbling woman.

"Two idiots like each other but don't have the guts to say it."

"How is that affecting you?" The woman asked solemnly, her violet eyes now giving Eli absolute attention. "Unless you tell me that you like one of them and just want them to confess so that you can move on then-"

"It's not like that Yuki-san." Eli replied, though she was questioning herself. _'But she does have a point. Why am I so bothered by it?'_

"Then what is it?"

"I... I don't really know..."

"Then go find out. You may be a playgirl but you're not stupid."

"T-True..."

"Here's your vodka." The bartender slid a shot glass filled with vodka to Eli, a small smile on her face. "Drink up Elichika, it's on the house."

"Thanks..." Eli mumbled as she gulped down her vodka.

XXXXXX

"Remind me again why the hell are we doing this?!" Umi asked Kotori as they ran towards the local elementary school. The duo were doing Nico a favour as Honoka had left Umi's house, presumably going to commit suicide.

"Honoka-chan yelled at us and-" Kotori was cut off by Umi's reply, her tone ragged from running. When they arrived at the elementary school, they were met with a pitch black building.

"Oh damn this. What should we do?" Umi cursed under her breath, if they didn't find Nico's daughter soon...

"Look! There's someone leaving the building!" Kotori pointed to an approaching figure, slightly relieving Umi. "Excuse me! Have you seen a girl called Kokoro Yazawa?"

"Oh her? She was picked up by a ginger-haired woman quite a while ago. Kokoro-chan knew the woman so I allowed her to take Kokoro-chan." The figure replied, soon making her way towards the duo.

"I see. Thank you for helping us." Umi bowed, dragging away Kotori from the school. "That was Honoka for sure."

"Thankfully Kokoro-chan is with Honoka-chan!"

"Hah?! How is that a good thing?"

"It means that she's most likely alive."

"How so?" Kotori sighed, Umi was smart but wasn't at the same time.

"Nico-san went back to the apartment to look for Honoka-chan while Honoka-chan picked Kokoro-chan up first. That means that Nico-san will have a higher chance to meet Honoka-chan _before_ she commits suicide."

"Oh... I see." Umi paused, before changing the topic. "Say, Kotori?"

"Hm?"

"How's your relationship with your stepsister?"

"Why do you ask?" Kotori was surprised, she didn't expect such a question out of the blue.

"Oh I was just thinking about Nico-san's family when I remembered about yours. Are you still awkward around your stepsister?" Umi explained, glancing at Kotori. _'Hopefully she isn't though. It sucks to live with someone that you can't look in the eye for more than a second.'_

"Great actually. The past six months were pretty eventful. I got to know Maki-chan much better ever since that dinner at Ayase-san's cafe!" Kotori beamed for the first time in months, making Umi grin slightly. "Why are you grinning like that Umi-chan?"

"... Nothing really." Umi continued to grin, confusing Kotori as she tried to find out why her best friend (apart from Honoka) was acting so unlike her.

"Oh yeah, Umi-chan!" Kotori suddenly spoke, startling Umi.

"What is it?"

"Honoka-chan likes Nico-san!"

" _WHAT_?!"

XXXXXX

"Let me get this straight, you ran off and tried to commit suicide but instead decided to pick up Nico-san's kid?!" Umi questioned, a dark aura forming around her after hearing Honoka's explanation of how she remembered that Kokoro ended school around the time she left Umi's house and chose not to commit suicide.

"U-Umi-chan!" Kotori cried out, trying to prevent a disaster from happening.

"Yes I did. It's irresponsible of me and I'm fully aware of it." Honoka admitted, a look of guilt flashing across her face.

"Glad that you know it. Anyways, how did your inappropriate question go about?" A look of confusion appeared on Honoka's face, not fully comprehending Umi's question.

"I told Umi-chan about your crush on Nico-san!" Kotori chirped, beaming happily.

"Well... I guess I got a happy end. Hey Kotori-chan, is there any of your students that need babysitting? I could use some cash since my apartment doesn't cost much..." Honoka scratched her head, making her hair messier than before.

"I think I could ask around. Where are you staying at?"

"Nico-chan's! She allowed me to live with her!"

"That's nice and all. Now can we just drop the topic of romance?! Geez... I still can't believe that you got an answer even though it was at a bad time..." Umi sighed, taking out her phone before grimacing. Upon seeing the sender that was trying to reach her, she stuffed the phone back into her beg. "I hate her..."

"Okay okay! Contact me once you have an opportunity! See ya!" Honoka left the cafe, leaving Umi and Kotori behind.

"You think Nico-san is a good match with Honoka? I mean, she doesn't seem like the type who would go well with Honoka..." Umi asked, her eyes going back to Kotori's.

"I'm positive Umi-chan. Honoka-chan is always happier when she's talking about Nico-san." Kotori affirmed, silently happy for Honoka's change in life.

"Then that's great. Let's have a girlfriend-less party later, drinks are on me." Umi offered, somewhat irritated after seeing who sent a message to her.

"Sorry Umi-chan, I'm going out with my sister." Seeing the horrified look on Umi's face, she clarified her rejection. "I meant we wanted to hang out afterwards as a sisterly thing. Our moms just got married you know."

"That's a relief... I thought I'll be the only one left on the shelf..." Umi joked, knowing of her best friend's attraction towards Maki. _'Just got married huh? It has been at least six months, I'm glad that you're so happy until you thought that your mother just got married...'_

"You aren't disgusted by the possibility that I'm committing pseudo-incest with Maki-chan?" Kotori asked, wanting to test Umi's reaction to her comment. If Umi reacted positively then...

"She's a good girl plus so long as you're happy, whoever you go out with is fine." Kotori beamed, Umi wouldn't hate her even if she got together with Maki.

"I see! See you around Umi-chan!" With that, Kotori left the cafe. On her way to Maki's workplace, she bumped into Eli. "A-Ayase-san?!"

"Minami-san, where are you going in such a hurry?" Eli asked, picking out some lint on her jacket. Upon seeing Kotori's blush, Eli instantly knew the answer. "Maki huh?"

"Ehehe... I've decided that today will be the day." Kotori said, reflecting back on the countless messages she had in her virtual conversation with Eli. "I should be brave, and accept whatever that comes my way. Right Ayase-san?"

"..." Eli flashed a smile, and patted Kotori's head before walking away. "Maki's alone at my cafe. Better hurry and have your 'sisterly hangout' there before she leaves."

"Thanks." Kotori ran towards Eli's cafe, oblivious to Eli's last words or the tears falling down from her face.

"Ahhh why can't I practice what I preach...?" Eli sniffed, her handphone buzzing. "Oh Umi, you wanna hang out? Sure, I'm still single anyways!"

 _'No wonder I'm called the loser playgirl...'_ Eli sighed to herself as she hung up, brushing away her tears as she made her way to where Umi was.

XXXXXX

"Maki-chan!" Kotori called out to Maki, who was just about to lock up the cafe. Maki heard her, and stopped what she was doing to watch Kotori run towards her.

"Oh hey sis, I was just about to get ready. Where do you want to go?" Maki asked, twirling her keys as she waited for Kotori's answer.

"I was thinking of spending dinner with you at this cafe!" Maki blinked, her sister wanted to eat at the cafe?

"Um Hanayo left already so uh..."

"No worries, your sister can cook~" Kotori giggled as she took the keys from Maki, a smile on her face. "What would you like to have?"

"Heh?! Uh... I guess something with tomatoes would be nice..." Maki scratched her head, a light blush on her face as she entered the cafe with Kotori in front of her. _'I-Is this what gamers call a flag?! If so then I better watch out for the choices... Ahhh I'm turning into a major nerd!'_

"Give me around 20 minutes! Hmm, wonder if there's enough tomatoes in the fridge..." Kotori went into the kitchen, leaving Maki alone.

 _'T-This is a dream right?! I-In this kind of situation we'll have dinner and then Kotori will confess to me right?! But we're sisters! Ahhh I'm spending too much time with that dating simulator already...!'_ Maki internally panicked, holding up her phone for no reason. It just so happened that her boss had messaged her.

 _From: Eli Ayase_

 _[So how's your date coming along?]_

Maki blushed as she inputted her reply, her fingers flying on top of the keypad.

 _From: Maki Nishikino_

 _[Dammit boss, it's not a date!]_

 _From: Eli Ayase_

 _[No? You're totally in love with Minami-san.]_

 _From: Maki Nishikino_

 _[Doesn't mean that she is.]_

 _From: Eli Ayase_

 _[Have you even heard what she thinks of you?]_

Maki frowned, her boss was just too stubborn. Before she could even reply, another message came in, though not from Eli.

 _From: UNKNOWN_

 _[Listen to Eli. Kotori does like you, though it will be best if she says it herself.]_

 _From: Maki Nishikino_

 _[Who the hell are you?!]_

 _From: UNKNOWN_

 _[My apologies. I'm Umi Sonoda, Kotori's childhood friend and Eli's acquaintance.]_

 _From: Maki Nishikino_

 _[Uh huh, and how will I know that she likes me?]_

 _From: Kotori-nee_

 _[Dinner's ready~ Who r u talking to? (^8^)]_

Maki looked up from the screen, her amethyst eyes meeting her stepsister's amber eyes. Kotori smiled as she served a plate filled with tomato-based spaghetti in front of Maki.

"Shall we eat, Maki-chan?"

XXXXXX

"You seemed to be glued to your phone just now? Is it your girlfriend by any chance~?" Kotori teased, faking a pout as she waited for Maki's expression.

"N-No. Just... uh... people from my uni." Maki lied, not knowing why did she even do so in the first place.

"Oh right, you're in the medical course right? You must be good in order to manage time between that and your part-time job."

"Not as great as you. You're already working full time right?"

"Hehe, I just started though."

"Say... do you have a girlfriend?" Maki decided to ask the very question that could impact the dinner, not bothering to wait for the 'choices' to influence her decision.

"Huh? No I don't, why did you ask?" Kotori asked, staring at Maki. _'The reason I don't have one is because I love you Maki-chan...'_

"You look like the popular type. I mean, you're smart, have a nice personality, and did I mention that you're hot?" Maki replied, sweating buckets after realising what she had just said. _'Shoot, I cannot believe that I just said that she's hot. Which is true but still.'_

"Hehe~ You think I'm hot huh? Such a charmer~" Kotori smiled, reaching out to pat Maki's head. _'In this rate, I'm just going to establish a platonic sisterly relationship which is totally the opposite of what I'm aiming for today...'_

"Geez, I'm saying the truth." Maki sighed, it was a good thing that Kotori took it the other way. Imagine the horrified look her beloved sister would give her, that would be really bad.

"Well thank you for the sincere compliment then~" Kotori giggled, masking her thoughts. _'Should I go for it now? Or wait for a little more? I suck at this... even though it's my first time...'_

"Heh, there's no need though..." Maki glanced at Kotori, taking in the sight of her sister in her white cardigan which was hugging her frame. Underneath the cardigan was a black turtleneck blouse that was stylishly accompanied with a red and black checkered skirt. _'She has great fashion sense too... I wonder what's under those layers... B-Bad Maki! Get your head out of the damn gutter! Ahhhh I can't believe that I'm imagining my sister n-n-naked!'_

"Hey Maki-chan, can I ask you a question?" Kotori asked, taking a long sip of her water before facing Maki.

"S-Sure, what is it?" Maki blushed, slightly startled by Kotori's serious tone.

"Do you like me?" Kotori decided that she couldn't wait any longer and chose to go with the direct approach.

"Heh?!" Maki was stunned, was her beloved sister actually... _'Can it really be? If so, then...'_

"I'll take that as a no then..." Kotori sighed with a depressed tone, already expecting Maki's reaction. _'I knew it, she's definitely turned off by me... Why did I even bother asking?'_

"N-No! I-I don't hate you at all!" Maki hastily replied, grabbing Kotori's hands in a swift movement. "In fact! I love you! Like, romantically!"

"R-Romantically?!" Kotori gasped, she didn't know if she was dreaming or not. "This is just a dream right?"

"No it isn't! I don't care if we're now sisters by law, I still love you! When you came into this cafe for the very first time, I literally fell for you! I get jealous when Eli is flirting with you, even till now! This isn't a dream Kotori-nee, this is reality. And this reality includes you and I together, what do you say?"

"Pffft... Ahahaha... Sorry, it's just that I never expected you to be so..." Kotori brushed a tear away from her eyelid, a smile on her face. "... passionate?"

"E-Eh?! I-Is that bad?"

"Don't worry, I love every single thing about you~" Kotori giggled, Maki was simply too cute for her own good! "Are you sure though?"

"... Well uh... I do love you, that's for sure. So uh, you wanna date?" Maki flushed, embarrassed that she allowed her thoughts to spill out.

"Do you need to ask Maki-chan?"

"Um, yes?"

"Hehe~ That's my exact answer Maki-chan."

XXXXXX

"You think that the date will go well?" Maki asked Kotori, who was walking beside her. It has been at least half a year that they have been together as a couple, both still happily in love with each other. That gave them enough experience to help Umi out with her upcoming date with Rin.

"Un! It's Umi-chan after all! She's quite the romantic when it comes to love, I think..." Kotori faltered as she reflected on Umi's experience with romance. She shuddered as she recalled an occasion where Umi wrote a poem about how would Kotori have stolen her heart. It was a sweet gesture, but downright boring if it recounted the day where the two met.

"Well since all the novels that she has written are romance I guess it'll be successful... But she doesn't look like that she has a clue with romance in reality..." Maki smirked at the prospect of Umi messing up her date with Rin. Then again, Rin would also mess up her date somehow.

"Ehehe... She used to dream of scenarios where she'll confess to someone romantically! She also pretended to confess to me once!" Kotori's face beamed at the memory of a blushing Umi confessing her supposedly undying love to Kotori.

"She what?!" Maki was shocked at what she heard. Never did she once hear about her step-sister being confessed to by her novelist friend and it hurt her slightly. _'So I'm not the first one to confess... Damn it.'_

"Yep! But I knew it was all pretend so I rejected her like how I normally would!" Kotori smiled at Umi's reaction to her rejection, unaware on the darkening expression on Maki's face.

"That's no good... I need to purge that memory out of your mind..." Maki muttered before pushing Kotori on to a wall, forcefully kissing her.

"Maki-chan?! Nnmph!" Kotori's voice was cut off swiftly by Maki's lips, only letting out a low moan a few seconds later.

"That's what you get for thinking about her..." Maki whispered sultrily in her lover's ear, sending shivers down Kotori's spine while her neck was being attacked by her step-sister.

"Y-You don't play fair Maki-chan..."

"That's right, I don't. Now how about we bring this to bed and enjoy today?" Maki wore a smug grin on her face as she passionately kissed Kotori once more, this time lasting a few seconds longer than the last.

"A-Alright..." Kotori replied dazedly as she allowed herself to be dragged into bed by her younger sister.

XXXXXX

Maki: I'm the top?!

Kotori: So bold~

Maki: H-Hey! You don't act like your innocent self once we're in the A/N!

Kotori: Kotori-nee is embarrassed~

Maki: STOP IT!

Kotori: Maki-chan, more...

Maki: NO! I DON'T WANNA HEAR ANYMORE! STAHP!

Wow you sure are desperate. Anyways, happy birthday Kotori! *Pops party cracker*

Maki: Hang on, I didn't know about this?

Kotori: Didn't you get the memo?

Maki: What memo?!

Anyway, moving on!

Maki: Wait!

Kotori's clothes during the second dinner 'date' is 90% from LLSIF Kotori SR Constellation Version. (Yes it's slightly different as I have no idea what the hell was she actually wearing. And don't get me started on the initial choice which was the SR White Day Version, that was an utter nightmare to even describe.)

Maki: Are you even listening?!

Kotori: Maki-chan, just calm down!

And actually I wanted this story to be called 'Don't Worry, I'm Okay With Incest' but I decided to change it as one, it sounds pretty weird when it's not actual incest and two, I may get myself into serious trouble for using the word 'incest' as part of the title. I'm unsure whether this site considers incest to be a kid-unfriendly word (most likely yes) but I'm not gambling my chances.

Kotori: So thank you for reading my love story with my cute tsundere sister Maki-chan~

Maki: I'm _NOT_ tsundere!


End file.
